PM Kamla, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark discuss key developmental challenges facing T&T

Helen Clark

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar hosted a bilateral meeting Thursday with visiting United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, at the Diplomatic Centre, St. Ann’s.

Clark is on a two-day official visit to Trinidad and Tobago. On Wednesday she joined the Prime Minister and other distinguished guests to launch the first Caribbean Human Development Report (CHDR) on Citizen Security. 

Also present at the bilateral meeting was Dr. Heraldo Muñoz, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Thursday's bilateral discussions centred on the following key themes, with a primary focus on developmental issues:

• Overview of Trinidad and Tobago’s partnership with the UNDP 
• UNDP Country Programme 2012-2015 
• UNDP’s Coordination with GORTT 
• Citizen Security in Practice 
• Poverty Reduction Efforts 
• Women’s Political Participation 
• Evidence-Based Policy Instruments 
• Project Management and Implementation 
• Carbon Reduction Strategy 
• Challenges Facing Middle-Income Countries 

Persad-Bissessar acknowledged the significance of the CHDR as an analytic tool for governance in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, noting that Trinidad and Tobago’s developmental agenda echoes the UNDP Report’s recommendations.

“I pledge my support for the proposed partnership between the UNDP and the Ministry of National Security to enhance the implementation of the Citizen Security Programme," she said. 

"I strongly believe that the findings of this report can further inform my Government’s steps towards improving citizen security as well as promote academic research on this issue locally, regionally and internationally.”

Persad-Bissessar also expressed her continued commitment to enhancing women’s political participation, a cause which Clark has also been a strong advocate of over the past years. 

She said she is particularly interested in pursuing a partnership with the UNDP and other stakeholders to develop a national framework based on the UNDP’s “Good Practices Guide to promote Women’s Political Participation.” 

Other significant initiatives targeted towards the empowerment of women are a proposed Online Mentoring Programme and the introduction of Gender Responsive Budgeting in Trinidad and Tobago.

After the meeting Persad-Bissessar and Clark attended a Post Cabinet Luncheon where MPs and Senators were briefed on research conducted by the UNDP towards the production of a Draft Human Development Atlas (2012) of Trinidad and Tobago.

 The Atlas will feature a series of maps on social and economic development at the level of Regional Corporations and at the individual and household levels. 

The Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of this initiative for the formulation of national development policy and also reiterated the relevance of the Caribbean Human Development Report.

“The launch of the first ever Caribbean Human Development Report puts the spotlight on security in our region and for us here as the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, we must take this opportunity to not only reflect on what has been presented but also to critically assess ourselves,” she said.